Pre=School Lesley Hendy enweeke¢by week planning forsyour theme eymatchhyour theme to the EVESiEarly Learning Goals ‘emstructured activities Hhowstoycollect evidence torshoujslearning | \/ Using this book in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales The activities in this book are appropriate for use Although the curriculum guidelines in Northern Ireland, throughout the United Kingdom They are designed to Scotland and Wales differ, they all address similar areas promote the development of early skills and to represent of learning and comparable references to the Early Years good practice in the early years Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals can be found GLOSSARY EYFS: Early Years Foundation Stage ELG: Early Learning Goal Prarti pragteal Planning for Learning through by Lesley Hendy Illustrated by Cathy Hughes Contents 2-3 Making plans 4-7 Using the Early Learning Goals 8-9 Week 1: The Gingerbread Man 10-11 Week 2: The Elves and the Shoemaker 12-13 Week 3: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 14-15 Week 4: Jack and the Beanstalk 16-17 Week 5: The Princess and the Frog 18-19 Week 6: Once upon a Time 20 Bringing it all together - The Fairy Tale Book Day 21 Resources F 22 Collecting evidence of children’s learning ( Se aaa) ie 23 Skills overview of six-week plan 24 Home links Inside back cover Parent’s Page Published by Step Forward Publishing Limited St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 OPB Tel 020 7738 5454 Revised edition © Step Forward Publishing Limited 2008 First edition © Step Forward Publishing Limited 2001 www.practicalpreschool.com All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher Planning for Learning through Fairy Stories ISBN: 978 90457 575 Planning Practical Pre-School f°" Learning RY STONES Making plans" Why plan? The purpose of planning is to make sure that all children enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum All planning should be useful Plans are working documents which Communication, Language and Literacy and to Creative Development Another topic might particularly encourage Physical Development Try to make sure that you provide a variety of topics in your long-term plans, such as: Autumn 1: Autumn 2: Weather/Christmas Spring 1: Spring 2: Summer 1: Houses and Homes Fairy Stories Farming Long term plans Summer 2: Minibeasts Preparing a long-term plan, which maps out the curriculum during a year or even two, will help you to ensure that you are providing a variety of activities and are meeting the requirements of the Statutory Framework Medium term plans you spend time preparing, but which should later repay your efforts Try to be concise This will help you in finding information quickly when you need it for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2007) Your long-term plan need not be detailed Divide the time period over which you are planning into fairly equal sections, such as half terms Choose a topic for each section Young children benefit from making links between the new ideas they encounter so as you select each topic, think about the time of year in which you plan to it A topic about stories will be suitable for any time of the year Although each topic will address all the learning areas, some could focus on a specific area For example, a topic on Fairy Stories lends itself well to activities relating to Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Shopping Medium term plans will outline the contents of a topic in a little more detail One way to start this process is by brainstorming on a large piece of paper Work with your team writing down all the activities you can think of which are relevant to the topic As you this it may become clear that some activities go well together Think about dividing them into themes, the topic of Fairy Stories for example has themes such as time, growth, reflections and change At this stage it is helpful to make a chart Write the theme ideas down the side of the chart and put a different area of learning at the top of each column Now you can insert your brainstormed ideas and will quickly see where there are gaps As you complete the chart take account of children’s earlier experiences and provide opportunities for them to progress Refer back to the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and check that you have addressed as many different aspects of it as you can Once all your medium-term plans are complete make sure that there are no neglected areas Day to day plans The plans you make for each day will outline aspects such as: Plannin for Learnin pats through FAIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School @ resources needed; ® the way in which you might introduce activities; Making plans safety; the organisation of adult help; size of the group; © timing; key vocabulary; individual needs @ Identify the learning and ELGs which each activity is intended to promote Make a note of any assessments or observations which you are likely to carry out After using the plans, make notes of which activities were particularly successful, or any changes you would make another time A final note Planning should be seen as flexible Not all groups meet every day, and not all children attend every day Any part of the plans in this book can be used independently, stretched over a longer period or condensed to meet the needs of any group You will almost certainly adapt the activities as children respond to them in different ways and bring their own ideas, interests and enthusiasms Be prepared to be evidence on page 22 explains how you might monitor children's achievements Find out on page 20 how the topic can be brought together in a grand finale involving parents, children and friends There is additional material to support the working partnership of families and children in the form of a Home links page, and a photocopiable Parent’s page found at the back of the book It is important to appreciate that the ideas presented in this book will only be a part of your planning Many activities which will be taking place as routine in your group may not be mentioned For example, it is assumed that sand, dough, water, puzzles, floor toys and large scale apparatus are part of the ongoing Early Years Foundation Stage experience Many groups will also be able to provide access to computers and other apsects of information and communication technology Role play, stories, rhymes and singing, and group discussion times are similarly assumed to be happening each week though they may not be used as a focus for a topic on Fairy Stories Groups should also ensure that there is a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activites flexible over timing as some ideas prove more popular than others The important thing is to ensure that the children are provided with a varied and enjoyable curriculum which meets their individual developing needs Using the book To use this book: @ Collect or prepare suggested resources as listed on page 21 Read the section which outlines links to the Desirable Outcomes document (pages - 7) and explains the rationale for the topic of Fairy Stories For each weekly theme two activities are described in detail as examples to help you in your planning and preparation Key vocabulary, questions and learning opportunities are identified @ ~~ The skills chart on page 23 will help you to see at a glance which aspects of children's development are being addressed as a focus each week @ As children take part in the Fairy Stories topic activities, their learning will progress Collecting @ Planning ee ee ee Practical Pre-School f°" Lear nine MaIRY STORIES Using the ‘Early Learning Goals’ Having decided on your topic and made your mediumterm plans you can use the Early Learning Goals to highlight the key learning opportunities your activities will address The Early Learning Goals are split into six areas: Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and speak in a familiar group’ Activities suggested which provide the opportunity for children to this will have the reference PS2 This will enable you to see which parts of the Early Learning Goals are covered in a given week and plan for areas to be revisited and developed Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development and Creative Development Do not expect each of your topics to cover every goal but your long-term plans should allow for all of them to be addressed by the time a child enters Year The following section highlights lists the Early Learning Goals in point form to show what children are expected to be able to in each area of learning by the time they enter Year These points will be used throughout this book to show how activities for a topic on Fairy Stories link to these expectations For example Personal, Social and Emotional Development point is ‘be In addition, you can ensure that activities offer variety in the goals to be encountered Often a similar activity may be carried out to achieve different learning objectives For example, children can be told or read fairy stories for a variety of reasons On page 11 an activity for making concertina books is described It aims to encourage children to explore and enjoy books, to handle them with care in order to meet outcomes within Communication, Language and Literacy At the same time, children will also be using a variety of skills which feature in the Physical Development and Creative Development outcomes as they make and decorate their books It is important, therefore, that activities have clearly defined NEI) Pm (i))d)YY) a Planning for Learnin ae: through FAIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School oes, 3% learning objectives so that these may be emphasised during the activity and for recording purposes » children play games within Physical Development they will also have the opportunity to work towards PS8 ~~ Development (PS) Communication, Language and Literacy This area of learning covers important aspects of By the end of the EYFS children should: pereonall Social and Emotional development that affect the way children learn, behave and relate to others Ll By the end of the EYFS children should: L2 PS1 Continue to be interested, excited and motivated to learn PS2 Be confident to try new activities, initiate ideas and L3 have heard with relevant comments, questions or speak in a familiar group PS3 Maintain attention, concentrate, and sit quietly 14 PS4 when appropriate Respond to significant experiences, showing a range of feelings when appropriate L5 PS5 Have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings, and be sensitive to the needs, PS6 PS7 PS8 views and feeling of others Have a developing respect for their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people Form good relationships with adults and peers Work as part of a group or class, taking turns and sharing fairly, understanding, that there need to be agreed values and codes of behaviour for groups of people, including adults and children, PS9 PS10 PS11 PS12 PS13 to work together harmoniously Understand what is right, what is wrong and why Consider the consequences of their words and actions for themselves and others Dress and undress independently and manage their own personal hygiene Select and use activities and resources independently Understand that people have different needs, views, cultures and beliefs that need to be treated PS14 with respect Understand that they can expect others to treat their needs, views, cultures and beliefs with respect Interact with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in conversation Enjoy listening to and using spoken and written language, and readily turn to it in their play and learning Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they actions Listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems ‘Extend their vocabulary, exploring the meanings and new sounds of new words L6 ~~ Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener L7 Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences L8 Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events L9 _—_—_Hear and say sounds in words in the order in which they occur L10 Link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet JEAN Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words L12 Explore and experiment with sounds, words and texts Retell narratives in the correct sequence, drawing L13 on language patterns of stories L14 Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently Know that print carries meaning and, in English, is L15 read from left to right and top to bottom L16 Show an understanding of the elements of stories such as main character, sequence of events and The topic of Fairy Stories provides valuable opportunities for children to show sensitivity to their environment and the people around them, to work collaboratively and to express feelings in response to the stories they hear This topic is especially useful in developing children’s understanding of what is right and what is wrong and other moral dilemmas As children become more aware openings, and how information can be found in non-fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and how TAy, features of different forms such as lists, stories and L18 of the stories, characters and environments they have the chance to explore new learning and develop ideas In addition, many of the goals for Personal, Social and Emotional Development will be covered as a natural result of activities in other key areas For example, when yng yokes Attempt writing for different purposes, using LI9 instructions Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions, and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed Planning Practical Pre-School f°" Learning MeORY STORIES N8 Begin to relate addition to combining two groups of objects and subtraction to ‘taking away’ N9 N10 Nil N12 Use language such as ‘greater’, ‘smaller’, ‘heavier’ or ‘lighter’ to compare quantities Talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns Use language such as ‘circle’ or ‘bigger’ to describe the shape and size of solids and flat shapes Use everyday words to describe position Well-known fairy stories are a source of interest for children and many contain numbers of people and animals, for example, the three bears, the three little pigs, the seven dwarfs and so on (N1) Some stories contain refrains which occur a number of times The successive repeating of the chorus can reinforce counting skills, for example how many times did the Gingerbread Man say ‘Run, run as fast as you can You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!’ or the wicked stepmother ask her mirror “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all?’? (NI, 2) Fairy stories contain objects, animals and adventures which can be used for sorting and comparing Stories such as Jack and the Beanstalk’ contain comparative words such as ‘big and little’, ‘tall and short’, ‘high and low’ The activities suggested for the theme of Fairy Stories provide children with opportunities to respond in a variety of imaginative and role-play situations Writing letters to Jack’s mother and looking at print on labels and games will help children to develop their early writing skills Fairy Stories offers many opportunities for children to increase their vocabulary and express themselves clearly The repeating of choruses and refrains within stories will encourage their understanding of sounds and rhymes in words Knowledge and Understanding of the World By the end of the EYFS children should: Kl K2 Investigate objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate Find out about, and identify, some features of living things, objects and events they observe K3 Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy By the end of the EYFS children should: Nl Say and use number names in order in familiar contexts N2 Count reliably up to ten everyday objects N3 Recognise numerals to N4 Use developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems N5 In practical activities and discussion, begin to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting N6 Use language such as ‘more’ or ‘less’ to compare two numbers N7 Find one more or one less than a number from one to ten Planning for Learnin through e FAIRY STORIES P ractical Pre-School > — ‘ Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change Ask questions about why things happen and how things work K5 —_—Build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources and adapting their work where necessary K6 Select the tools and techniques they need to shape, assemble and join materials they are using K4 K7 _ Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use information and communication technology and programmable K8 toys to support their learning Find out about past and present events in their own lives, and in those of their families and other people they know K9 K10 —_ Observe, find out about and identify features in the place they live and the natural world Find out about their environment and talk about those features they like and dislike K11_ Begin to know about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people C3 Explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions Recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, sing simple songs from memory, recognise repeated sounds and sound patterns and match movements to music C5 _— Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative and role-play and stories C4 The topic of Fairy Stories provides opportunities to help children experience K3, 4, and 10 For example, as children listen to fairy stories you will be able to talk with them about past and present events They will also talk about the environments in which the stories occur Many fairy stories take place in outside locations such as fields, forests, woods and near rivers, lakes and ponds (K9) When making leaves for Jack’s beanstalk children will have the opportunity to practice their folding and cutting skills (K6) Physical Development By the end of the EYFS children should: During this topic children will experience working with a variety of materials as they make playdough and gingerbread men, and a row of paper dwarfs, create a large giant with different materials and make golden pom-poms to represent the princess’s golden ball in ‘The Princess and the Frog’ (C2, 3) By making interactive stories in the final “Once upon a time’ week they will increase their ability to use their imaginations (C5) Making up frog or gingerbread men dances will help them respond to music (Cl, 5) PD1 PD2 PD3 PD4 PD5 PD6 PD7 PD8 Move with confidence, imagination and in safety Move with control and coordination Travel around, under, over and through balancing and climbing over equipment Show awareness of space, of themselves and of others Recognise the importance of keeping healthy and those things which contribute to this Recognise the changes that happen to their bodies when they are active Use a range of small and large equipment Handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control Activities such as making playdough frogs, cooking gingerbread men, and printing and painting will offer experience of PD8 Through being Jack climbing the beanstalk, jumping like frogs and finding different ways of rescuing the treasure when playing “The keeper of the treasure’, children can develop control and coordination whilst also having the opportunity to work in an imaginative way By playing whole group games such as ‘Gingerbread man tag’ and ‘Grandmother’s footsteps’, children will become aware of space and the needs of others Creative peqekepineat By the end of the EYFS children should: Cl Respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel C2 Express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings by using a widening range of materials, suitable tools, imaginative and role-play, movement, designing and making, and a variety of songs and musical instruments Planning Practical Pre-Schoo | for Learning hrough PRRY STORES Week I The Gingerbread Man Personal, Social and Emotional Development © @ Encourage children to work as a group as they make and cook gingerbread men (PS8) ‘Ensure children wash their hands and keep surfaces clean as they prepare their gingerbread men (PS11) Communication, Language and Literacy © © © Read or tell the story of “The Gingerbread Man’ and then ask children questions about the story (L4) Show children pictures from the story and discuss how they show what is happening (L16) Write recipes for ways to decorate gingerbread men (L17) @ _— Play ‘Gingerbread man tag’ Use the fox as the chaser and the other children as gingerbread men being chased How many can the fox ‘eat’ in a given time? (PD1, 2) Creative Development ® Use playdough for rolling and cutting into gingerbread men shapes (C3) Draw round a child and make a big gingerbread man that can be painted and decorated Put him up for display (C2) © Make up a gingerbread man dance to some fast’ music (C5) cope Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy ® Help children weigh the ingredients for the gingerbread men and compare the amounts of different ingredients used Do we use more flour or more ginger in the recipe? (N9) ‘Encourage the children to count how many currant’s will be needed for the eyes, nose and buttons on each gingerbread man (N2) Draw attention to the many different animals the gingerbread man escaped from Make a chart to show the different animals (N6) @ Play the’Gingerbread man journey game’ Activity: Making gingerbread men Learning opportunity: Developing an interest in baking and understanding the need for hygiene when making things to eat Early Learning Goal: Knowledge and Understanding of the World Children should investigate objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate They will look closely at differences and change (see activity opposite) (N2, 3) Knowledge and Understanding of the World @ Discuss the different features in the landscape that the gingerbread man went through during his saucepan; wooden spoons; mixing bow]; sieve; rolling pin and board; greaseproof paper; a gingerbread man cutter; spatula and wire tray escape (K3) Go outside and look for grass, hillocks and trees Organisation: Small group Show children pictures of ponds to give them an idea of where the crafty fox outwitted the gingerbread man (K2) In preparation for cooking gingerbread men, encourage children to describe what they see, smell and, where appropriate, taste (see activity opposite) NB Check with carers for food allergies (KI, 2) Physical Development Resources: Ingredients for the biscuits; baking trays; Take children outside to run fast and slow Can they jump over small obstacles like a gingerbread man? (PD7) Planning for Learnin through PrIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School Key vocabulary: Mix, stir, roll, knead, cut, bake, clean, tidy What to do: Before children start to cook help them to: tie back long hair wash their hands (children with eczema should wear surgical gloves) wear an apron or overall roll up long sleeves and secure them check all surfaces being used are wiped clean Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Persona Social and Emotional Development Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy Show children symmetrical and non-symmetrical objects and ask them to identify the symmetrical Talk about different foods and the danger of eating things we not know are safe (PS9) © _ Invite children to talk about beautiful and ugly things Encourage children to listen carefully to the ideas of others, understanding that they may be ones (N10, 11) Count up to seven and back to one (N2) Bring in a kaleidoscope for children to use and investigate patterns (N10) different from their own (PS5) Communication, Language and Literacy @ children to describe how she is feeling in different o @ @ Knowledge and Understanding of the World Talk about what you find in a wood (K2) Read or tell the story of Snow White Ask the parts of the story (L3) Role-play the wicked stepmother and invite children to ask you questions (L7) Show pictures of the different dwarfs Can the children name them from how they look in the picture? (L8) Find new words to replace ‘fairest’ in “Mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them alll?’ (L5) Planning for Learnin through PHIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School © Cut up an apple and look inside (K2) Make a collection of safe shiny things and see which ones reflect (see activity opposite) (K1, 3) Physical Development © Mime the seven dwarfs at work and play (PD1, 2) Construct the seven dwarfs’ house from large cardboard boxes (PD8) Pass around the reflecting objects Ask children what they see when they look at themselves in them Is the image changed? Activity: Making blot prints Learning opportunity: To encourage children to look at pattern and symmetry Early Learning Goal: Creative Development Children should explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two dimensions Resources: Thick paint in different colours (let children mix their own); big paint brushes; sugar paper Organisation: Small groups with adult helper Creative Development Key vocabulary: Mix, thick, spread, brush, fold, blot, smudee Paint portraits of the seven dwarfs showing different expressions (C2, 3) @ Make the role-play corner into the seven dwarfs’ house (C1) @ What to do: Fold sugar paper in half and put a crease down the middle Unfold the paper and encourage children to work on the left-hand side of the crease Learn to sing the ‘Hi-Ho’ song from the Disney film (C4, 5) Ask them to mix two or three colours into a thick paste Make blot prints (see activity opposite) (C1) With a brush tell them either to put blobs of paint on the paper or to brush paint onto the paper Activity: Using mirrors in everyday life Learning opportunity: Investigating how we use mirrors Early Learning Goal: Knowledge and Understanding of the World Children should investigate objects by using all of their senses as appropriate They should look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change Resources: Plastic mirrors and safe reflecting objects, for example shiny metal spoons Organisation: Whole group Fold the paper again and press the two halves together Unfold the paper to reveal the strange shape Encourage the children to compare the two halves of each blot print Display Make a display of mirrors Make question labels that invite children to experiment with reflections such as ‘Look in the mirror, can you touch your ear?’, ‘Lift your hand and ruffle your hair What is happening in the mirror?’, ‘Can you find a way of looking behind you without looking round?’ Key vocabulary: Reflection, mirror, copy, image What to do: Show children the mirrors and ask what they think they could be used for, for example, brushing our hair, cleaning our teeth, painting our faces Encourage children to notice the way the image changes (everything is back to front) Discuss other places where mirrors are used, for example on cars, on dangerous corners, by hairdressers Plannin Practical Pre-School for = Learnin through 13 SARY STONES Week Jack and the Beanstalk Personal, Social and Emotional Development Using ten beans, find ways of making them into @ Provide opportunities for children to share and take turns when making their leaves for the display different groups - different shape, size, colour (N4) beanstalk (PS8) practice (N2, 7, 8) ® Discuss taking other people’s things (PS9, 10) Communication, Language and Literacy © Read or tell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and ask children to describe what the giant looked and sounded like Write the words on a large bootshaped piece of paper (L2,17) @ © Ask the children to remember what Jack took from the giant and in what order (L13) Ask children to pretend to be Jack and help them write a note to tell his mother where he has gone (U7) Knowledge and Understanding of the World Grow some broad bean seeds in a clear plastic beaker (see activity opposite) (K2, 4) ® Prepare a collection of different kinds of safe seeds Discuss similarities and differences Use words to describe the different kinds (K3) Physical Development Practise climbing the beanstalk by crawling along a gym bench or along the floor using alternating hand and leg movements Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy © Use the leaves on the beanstalk for counting Make groups of tlirce (Jack climbed the beanstalk three times, he took three things: the chicken, the money and the harp.) (N1, 4)) (PD7) Make large fruits, vegetables and foods for the giant out of playdough (PD8) Play ‘Keeper of the treasure’ (see activity opposite) (PD1, 2) Creative Development Paint and cut out giant leaves to make a beanstalk that can be displayed going right up the wall and across the ceiling (C3) Create a giant’s castle in the role- play corner using the giant food and other things that are over-sized Find some over-sized clothes for dressing up (C5) Make a collaborative picture of the giant using different materials such as fabric, corrugated card, buttons, and shiny foil (C2) Activity: Growing beans Learning opportunity: To help children discover how plants grow Early Learning Goal: Knowledge and Understanding of the World Children should find out about and identify some features of living things, objects and events they observe Resources: Broad bean seeds; some large clear plastic beakers; blotting paper; paper towels Planning for Learnin through er PANY STORIES P fp ractical Pre-School a Organisation: Small groups (each group has its own jar and bean) Organisation: Whole group, a space big enough for the children to sit in a circle with room for moving in the middle of the circle Key vocabulary: Growing, strong, light, gravity, upright, sideways, germination, roots and shoots What to do: Soak seeds before planting (preferably overnight) Key vocabulary: Listening, creeping, crawling, quietly, silent What to do: Sit children in a circle Choose one child to sit in the middle and be the giant guarding his treasure Cut a piece of blotting paper to fit inside the beaker Push some crumpled paper towels into the middle of the beaker Push the soaked beans between the blotting paper Blindfold the giant and place his treasures near him: a soft toy (the chicken), some money in a bag (his gold), a and the outside (You should be able to see the beans small musical instrument (his harp) through the plastic.) Place the seeds at different angles Choose children from the circle to move quietly into the Keep the beakers in a warm place out of direct sunlight and keep watered back to their place without being heard After a few days the roots and shoots should begin to appear Ask children what grows first - the roots or the shoots? In which direction they grow? If the giant hears he or she must point in the direction of the sound If the giant points in the right direction the treasure must be returned When the roots and shoots are a few centimetres long, turn some of the beakers upside down Ask children what they think will happen Check their predicitions after a few days The game finishes when all three treasures have been rescued A new giantis found and the game can continue - > _ a Activity: Keeper of the treasure Learning opportunity: Working together increasing control and coordination Early Learning Goal: Physical Development Children should move with confidence, imagination and in safety They should move with control and coordination circle and choose to take one of the treasures and take it Display Create a large beanstalk that goes up the wall and over the ceiling A small castle can be placed at its end Put the treasures on the high part of the beanstalk Label leaves, stem and roots of the beanstalk On a table display the beakers with the sprouting beans Scribe the children’s comments about their beans (they can write their name next to the comment) and place these near the beakers Resources: A soft toy; a small bag of money (or something that could rattle); a small musical instrument Plannin Practical Pre-School for Learning 15 through XY STONES Week The Princess and the Frog Encourage the children to describe the shapes they use (N10) @ @ Use mathematical language to describe the pond and the frog’s journey to the castle (N11, 12) Play “The Princess and the Frog’ fishing game (see activity opposite) (N9, 10) Knowledge and Understanding ofthe World Make models of ponds Use bubble wrap as frogspawn (K5) @ Show children pictures of the life-cycle of a frog Ask them to describe what is happening in each stage (K3) o Find a collection of round objects and investigate whether they float or sink in the water tray (K1, 4) Physical Development Personal, Social and Emotional Development © Discuss the need to be sensitive to others and the importance of keeping promises (PS5, 6, 8) Discuss how you should look after pets and animals (PS4) ® buckets, bins, boxes and hoops, so that children can practise throwing into a container (PD8) Creative Development Communication, Language and Literacy â đ Read or tell the story the Princess and the Frog As a group, collect words that describe the princess Write them on an outline ofa princess (L5, 17) Find other names that begin with ‘T’ for Ivy and ‘F’ for Frederick (L9, 10) Find words that rhyme with ball (L10, 11) Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy Make ten paper frogs and ten lily pads Put a hoop on a table to represent the pond Place a different number of lily pads in the pond each time Ask children to divide the frogs between the lily pads so no pad is empty Help children to observe when there are the same number of frogs on each pad (for example, when there are five pads there will Use bean bags to practise throwing and catching (PD2) Set up different kinds of containers, such as © ® @ Use chalks on blue paper to make frogspawn and tadpole pictures based on the photographs taken at the local pond Cover with Cellophane to give a watery feel Cut out strips of green pa er and stick to the sides to edge the pond picture (C3) Make up a frog jumping dance to jerky music (C5) Cut out frogs from corrugated card and make rubbings to create interesting frog pictures (C2) Make small frogs from green playdough and sit them on cardboard lily pads (C2) Make pom-pom (see activity opposite) (C3) cle Activity: The Princess and the Frog fishing game be two frogs on each) and when there are not (when there are three pads) (N5, 8) Give children frogs cut from green paper Ask them to decorate the frogs with different patterns Plannin for Learnin through PAIRRY STORICS) Practical Pre-School Learning opportunity: To help children sort by size and pattern Organisation: Small helper Key vocabulary: Circle, wool, thick, thin, fold, wrap What to do: Cut two 20cm-diameter circles from strong card for each pom-pom Cut out a Oem-diameter circle in the middle of each larger circle Join the first piece of wool around inside through the hole then ask children to keep wrapping wool of different thickness and colours through the hole and around the outside until the centre hole is full An adult cuts the wool between the two circles and wraps either string or a strong piece of wool around the cut pieces and between the two circles Secure the string or wool and leave along piece as a hanger if needed The pom-poms can be used as decorations or for ball games Experiment with different sized circles Early Learning Goal: Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy Children should talk about and recognise simple patterns They will use language such as ‘greater’ and ‘smaller’ to compare quantities Resources: A piece of A2 white card; 20 picture cards (‘golden balls’) with a paper fastener attached to the back; four magnet fishing rods Organisation: Small groups of two to four children Key vocabulary: Big, little, large, small, striped, spotted What to do: Make 20 ‘golden balls’: four large and spotted, four large and striped, four small and spotted, four small and striped and four plain yellow Variation: make green pom-poms and stick eyes onto them to make frogs Display Make a display of the life-cycle of a frog and write the children’s explanations of what is happening to label the pictures Display the photographs of your visit to a pond alongside the children’s frogspawn and tadpole pictures Put the playdough frogs and cardboard lilypads on a table covered with a blue cloth or blue paper with pom-pom frogs Cut an A2 piece of white card in half lengthways Join up the ends and fasten to make the pond Place all the ‘golden balls’ in the pond for the children to try to catch The winner is the child with the most sets of balls Activity: Making large pom-poms Learning opportunity: Children will discover the use of different materials Early learning Goal: Creative Development Children should explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in three dimensions Resources: Strong, large cardboard rings with a hole in the middle; wool in various thickness and colours of yellow groups with an adult Planning Practical Pre-School for Learnin 17 through ®a U STOR (ee) ie Vey Week Once upon a time Personal, Social and Emotional Development Discuss how we should treat each other, for @ ~~ Talk about places in fairy stories Discuss how the environments in fairy stories are different from where the children live (K10) example, keep our promises, not say unkind things, not take other people’s things Ask them to remember in which stories did someone not keep Physical Development their promise, was someone unkind to someone @ else or stole somebody elses things (PS5, 9) © © Encourage a ‘being friendly’ week (PS7) Have a fairy tale circle time (see activity opposite) (PS10) Communication, Language and Literacy @ Creative Development | Ask children to retell a favourite story from the last few weeks (L13) ® Find some more stories about princes and princesses and read them to the group - some suggestions are on page 21 (L16) Find more than one version of a story such as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ Ask children how they Create a simple obstacle course for children to take a pretend journey in a fairy tale land (PD7) @ Dance and sing “There was a princess long ago’ (C4, 5) Make half-masks of favourite fairy tale characters (C2, 5) Make stick puppets for ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ or ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ (C2, 5) Activity: An interactive story are different (L16) ° Talk about the things that happen in fairy stories Make a list of some of the characters found in the ® Look at the opening words in fairy stories - they always begin with ‘Once upon a time’? Do they always finish with ‘And they lived happily ever atter Pe(b>, 16) Create a story together (see activity opposite) (L4, 7) Learning opportunity: Developing children’s use of vocabulary and imaginative response stories (L13, 16) Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy @ Do a survey of favourite stories Use coloured bricks to make a block chart showing who likes what Use the outcome for counting practice (N2, 5) Use finger puppets of fairy story characters to illustrate number finger rhymes like ‘Five little speckled frogs’ (NI, 2) ® Adapt ‘One elephant went out to play’ to ‘One giant went out to play’ (NI, 2) Knowledge and Understanding of the World @ Make a map of a journey taken by a favourite fairy tale character (K9) Planning for Learnin through PllTRY STORIES Practical Pre-School Early Learning Goal: Communication, Language and Literacy Children should listen with enjoyment They should use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences Resources: None Organisation: Whole group with adult helpers in a space large enough to move around in Key vocabulary: Will be developed by the story What to do: Create a space that has boundaries either by using chairs or by placing ropes in a large rectangle Gather children inside the rectangle in a sitting circle Explain they are going to tell a story with you and the story can only happen inside the rectangle They are going to be part of the story and not just listening to one Remind them about working together and ‘listening eyes’ that look at the person who is speaking Early Learning Goal: Personal, Social and Emotional Development Children should consider the consequences of their words and actions for themselves and others Resources: Half-masks of favourite fairy tale characters Organisation: Whole group or half a group Key vocabulary: Kind, unkind, cruel, gentle, good, bad, promise, responsibility What to do: Gather children into a sitting circle and ask them to put on their masks Ask each character to say who they are Pass around a ‘golden ball’ and each character says what they have done to help someone that week and something they have done that is naughty Talk about the good and bad things the different fairy story characters have done Tell them you will begin the story but, as it is going to be their story as well, they will need to listen because you are going to ask them what should happen next Begin the story by saying you are a prince who is looking for a beautiful princess The prince has been told she lives in this area but he does not know where He has also heard there may be a giant who lives nearby Ask the children what they know about the princess and the giant Discuss ways of making bad things good again Ask how some of the fairy story characters did it Display Make a book display of all the fairy stories used in the topic and others Try to have more than one version of the same story for children to look at From this point let the children tell the story It is very tempting for the adults to take over! Listen carefully to what the children say and play out the actions they suggest They may, for example, tell you: she lives in a palace in the forest she is asleep she has a wicked stepmother you can only get there by night there are lots of wolves in the forest Use as many suggestions as you can and take the children with you on the adventure % aaa) es Activity: Fairy tale circle time Learning opportunity: Allowing children to discuss difficult problems in role mA) L 2, Planning Practical Pre-School for Learning through AIRY STORES 19 | Togethe jing r A Fairy Story Book Day Invitations Explain to the children that at the end of the week they are going to have a fairy story book day This is something that everyone can help to prepare Everyone, including the adults, can come dressed up as a character from a fairy tale Encourage them to ask for help at home with their costume There may be some parents or grandparents who like sewing or making things who would help Who is going to be invited? Each child can design and Who is going to be invited? Each child can design and During the afternoon you can arrange: make a card to invite their parnet, carer or friend to the afternoon of your fairy story book day Other inivitations If they are given enough notice, the local library and the local bookseller may come in with a display of books to borrow or to buy make a card to invite their parent, carer or friend to the afternoon of your fairy story book day Decorating the room Talk about how your setting can be changed into different fairy story environments Make an enchanted castle or a magic wood - trees with faces painted on can be round the walls Silhouettes of fairy story characters can be cut out of aper and fixed to the walls Make different characters into paper dancing dolls which can be joined together to make paper chains across the room Mobiles of clouds and stars can be from the ceiling Planning for Learnin through SO 55 FAIRY STORICS Pp ractical Pre-School G6 @6 © displays of children’s work displays of fairy story books a fancy dress parade of all the characters puppet shows of favourite stories put on by the children for their parents children can help to teach their parents some of the rhymes and songs they have learned This could end with everyone joining in “There was a princess long ago’ All books were available from leading booksellers = the time oF Resources _ Resources to collect @ @ đ â ® Magazines and catalogues with pictures of shoes Collection of seeds Baking materials and ingredients (see recipes) Pictures of the life-cycle of the frog 6 ® @ Rapunzel Little Red Riding Hood The Adventures of Tom Thumb The Ugly Duckling © Broad bean seeds, clear plastic beakers © Cinderella @ @ © @ The Three Billy Goats Gruff Town Mouse and Country Mouse Little Red Hen The Princess and the Pea The Hare and the Tortoise @ @ © © @ © © Collection of fairy stories Wools in different colours of yellow Collection of plastic mirrors, and shiny metal spoons Magnets —_— Kaleidoscopes Fairy tale dressing-up clothes Old shoes for printing Eyeryuay resources Boxes, large and small for modelling Papers and cards of different weights, colours and Ladybird publishes versions of many traditional tales, including most of the ones listed here, in their First Favourite Tales range Poems and Songs © This Little Puffin: Finger Plays and Nursery Rhymes textures, for example, sugar, corrugated card, silver © @ and shiny papers Dry powder paints for mixing and mixed paints for covering large areas such as card tree trunks Different sized paint brushes from household brushes to thin brushes for delicate work and a variety of paint mixing containers _—sA variety of drawing and colouring pencils, crayons, = Rumpelstiltskin by Elizabeth Matterson © (Puffin) Finger Plays and Nursery Rhymes pastels, charcoals, chalks @ Additional decorative and finishing materials such as sequins, foils, glitter, tinsel, shiny wool and threads, beads, pieces of textiles, parcel ribbon @ Table covers Fairy Story Books Individual stories: â @đ The Elves and The Shoemaker by F Hunia (Read it Yourself Ladybird) Jack and the Beanstalk by JPoole (Hodder Childrens Books) @ The Gingerbread Man by JA Rowe (North-South Paperbacks) Collections of fairy stories are published by many of the leading children’s publishers Other well-known fairy stories not used in the topic: @ @ @ Sleeping Beauty Goldilocks and the Three Bears The Three Little Pigs The Enormous Turnip Planning Practical Pre-School £0" Learning 21 FRIRY STONES Collecting Evidence of Children’s Learning Monitoring children’s development is an important task Keeping a record of children’s achievements, interests and learning styles will help you to see progress and will draw attention to those who are having difficulties for some reason If a child needs additional professional help, such as speech therapy, your records will provide valuable evidence @ _— Planned observations: Sometimes you will plan to make observations of children’s developing skills in their everyday activities Using the learning opportunity identified for an activity will help you to make appropriate judgements about children's capabilities and to record them systematically To collect information: @ talk to children about their activities and listen to Records should be the result of collaboration between group leaders, parents and carers Parents should be made aware of your record keeping policies when their child joins your group Show them the type of records you are keeping and make sure they understand that they have an opportunity to contribute As a general rule, your records should form an open document Any parent should have access to records relating to his or her child Take regular opportunities to talk to parents about children’s progress If you have formal discussions regarding children about whom you have particular concerns, a dated record of the main points should be kept Keeping it manageable their responses; @ °@ Sometimes you may wish to set up ‘one off activities for the purposes of monitoring development Some pre-school groups, for example, ask children to make a drawing of themselves at the beginning of each term to record their progressing skills in both co-ordination and observation Do not attempt to make records after every activity! @ Records should be helpful in informing group leaders, adult helpers and parents and always be for the benefit of the child The golden rule is to make them simple, manageable and useful Observations will basically fall into three categories: © Spontaneous records: Sometimes you will want to make a note of observations as they happen, for example, a child is heard counting cars accurately during a play activity, or is seen to play collaboratively for the first time _listen to children talking to each other; observe children’s work such as early writing, drawings, paintings and 3D models (Keeping photocopies or photographs is useful.) Reflective observations: It is useful to spend regular time reflecting on the children’s progress Aim to make some brief comments about each child every week Informing your planning Collecting evidence about children’s progress is time consuming and it is important that it is useful When you are planning, use the information you have collected to help you to decide what learning opportunities you need to provide next for children For example, a child who has poor pencil or brush control will benefit from more play with dough or construction toys to build the strength of hand muscles Example of recording chart D.O.B 26.2.04 Name: Lucy Copson _ Personal, Social | Communication, | Problem Solving, and Emotional Development Ecce and © _ Language | and Literacy | Numeracy — Reluctantto | _ Enjoying — Isabletosay | | say goodbye to — “numbers to |e _ mother Prefers adult company particularly 7he accu rately — 20.9.08 EMH © Princess and the | five objects _ fog | 20.11.08 EMH — | Planning for Learnin through tye FAIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School names squares and circles Date of entry: 13.9.08 & a= ° UU ce Ss O05 Sos Bull} e = YZ a o n Bureus uodn 32uO 604 ‘unoineyaq peg pue poo5 ay} pue SSODULd OUL yjejsueag ay} pue ~er | semq UBABS 8} MOUS pue sium _— — BuryjazAz035 ‘sasiuioid Buideay $1910 YIM o sydeib »p0jq ejdwiis ‘puiguoseq seap! pue sbuljaej aueus JayeWa0uUs song 9UL 23 a UO!}JEUIDIOOD pue sdew 6Bulyey| abenbue| sujew esp) ‘Buidnoi5 ‘Huigiisseq uoisuayesdwo> © jO1}U0D UUM Buiroj/\ sjopow Hulyey ‘Hulyuis pue buljeo|4 —fHuljzunod HulAjos wWia|qoid 9} jo 94} fo uoissnasiq JUSWUOJIAUD PIAOM Huiyew jeddnd pue ysew ybnosu} sjetuiazew Hurojdxy BHuiudjze> pue Buimoiul pjiom bull} ay} buliojdx4 ‘BUI Buiquoseq ‘he|d-ajoy BuIA joz,U02 paseaidul UUM BUIAOI suieyed siayyo BuldjaH ‘Aya UWAS Ae\d-a}0y iMejnqes0n jenpiaipiut Buidojansq Bul aus!BAy jeuosied jo — ssouaieme Huldojeneq _quauidojeneq © jeuonowg pue _ Jepos ‘jeuosied peaiqisbul G-€ Ul BUDLOM sjeluajzew Huyojdxy uoiebijseAu] ‘Hutuolseno ‘BUILIOS ‘BULUBIOAA pue ebenbue7 ‘uone21uNUWOD ue Ajayeiidoidde Hujyoiei\ uosliedwioy Ades9WINN pue Buruoseay ‘BuIAjOS Wia}qo1d oul sjeuazeu Huljpuey juaseid pue ysed $0 asuas dojanaq Hulpuejssapun pue ebpajmou» ‘Buluelsr] Bunesday WO} (MOW SU ‘uoljeasasgqg Ayaiee4D Buluiedg ‘uoijeurBeull 10 asn apeds jo asn buidojaaeq yesisAud qusuidojsaed jO12U0) JOJOW dIsnu 0} esuodsay ssoi6 Buidojaneq asp ‘sjeLIazewW JO aAizealD yuauidojaneq Ade19317 v Home links The theme of Fairy Stories lends itself to useful links with children’s homes and families Through working together children and adults gain respect for each other and build comfortable and confident relationships library staff are willing to come into schools and playgroups There are also theatre groups who perform favourite tales in school settings Resource Requests @ Ask to borrow biscuit cutters for making the gingerbread men ® Ask for contributions of old shoes with interesting patterns on the sole Preparing the Fairy Tale Book Day © ® Establishing partnerships @ Keep parents informed about the topic of Fairy Stories, and the stories and themes for each week By understanding the work of the group, parents will enjoy the involvement of contributing ideas, @ Request parental permission before taking children out to visit a pond Describe your route and the purpose of the activity Additional parental help will be necessary for this activity to be carried out safely Photocopy the parent’s page for each child to take home time, and resources @ @ Invite carers, friends, childminders and families to share the Fairy Story Book Day at the end of the topic Visiting Storytellers @® Invite a parent, carer or friend who is willing to share a favourite fairy story to come and either read or tell the story to the group If funds are available, invite in a professional storyteller to create new fairy stories with the children Sometimes members of the local Planning for Learning through PrIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School Invite parents, carers and friends to help decorate parts of the school or playgroup with pictures, 3-d mobiles and hangings to create different fairy story environments Encourage parents to help prepare a costume for the fairy tale day for their children and themselves Paren The history of fairy stories is many centuries old Many appear under different titles in different cultures around the world They survive because each generation finds in them universal ideas and enjoyable story telling We are using these old favourites as a theme to help your children understand the world in which they live If you would like to follow up some of these stories at home, here are some activities you might like to try Talking @ @ ® Share with your child your favourite fairy tales Either tell them the story as you remember it or borrow fairy tales from the library to read aloud and talk about Read fairy tales at bedtime (not the scary ones!) Find those that have refrains in them where your child can join in, for example, “The Gingerbread Man’ Talk to your child about the morals in the stories- Story telling In the kitchen ® doing good deeds, not breaking promises, being ® kind to other people Fairy stories are a wonderful way to introduce children to these difficult concepts Talk about the royal family and the British princes and princesses Making your own books Helping your child to make his/her own book is an excellent way of encouraging a liking and a caring for books % Buy some coloured A5 activity paper Punch two holes along one edge and thread through some coloured ribbon or string Tie the ends together to form a bow @ A ‘Book about Me’ could have photographs of your child at different ages They could stick in some of you at the same age if you have any @ ‘My Own Fairy Story Book’ could be a story you make up together Your child can draw the pictures and you can write a simple text underneath You could share the book with older siblings Visit your local library when they have a storytelling morning Share the experience with your child @ Make biscuits in the shapes of girls, boys and animals and help your child decorate them to look like different fairy tale characters Make miniature sandwiches for the seven dwarfs Discuss what filling each of the dwarfs would like Out and about @ ®@ Make visits to castles and palaces when you are on holiday Visit your local book shop and look for fairy tale books to share at bedtime What will children have the opportunity to learn to experience handling different materials; to make up stories and use their imagination; to recognise good and bad behaviour; to ask questions, investigate and explore ®8® @ @@& Cutting and sticking Help your child make some mobiles and pictures of fairy tale characters to decorate their bedroom Planning Practical Pre-Schoo | for Learning rough t 25 isBl | 7-575-7 90-d& UUwa UI | ht) 787904"575757 ... of the publisher Planning for Learning through Fairy Stories ISBN: 978 90457 575 Planning Practical Pre-School f°" Learning RY STONES Making plans" Why plan? The purpose of planning is to make... books It is important, therefore, that activities have clearly defined NEI) Pm (i))d)YY) a Planning for Learnin ae: through FAIRY STORIES Practical Pre-School oes, 3% learning objectives so that... topic about stories will be suitable for any time of the year Although each topic will address all the learning areas, some could focus on a specific area For example, a topic on Fairy Stories lends